I feel like I'm wasting my life in a shallow job

ShiftDoctor answer

By Rosie Walford a... on 8 April 2008 at 21:36

The key to my advice today is your comment that TV is feeling 'shallow'. It suggests to me that you would be fulfilled by work which felt as though it was somehow contributing to the greater good, or tackling subjects that are important to you.

Of course, it should make good use of your intelligence and training too.

A wise american, Laurence Boldt once said: "To the extent that your work meets the needs of the world it will be meaningful; to the extent that through it you use your talents, it will be joyful". I think he's right - and what's more, when you hit that sweet spot you tend to perform so well that you'd be financially rewarded too.

On The Big Stretch and the forthcoming Career Stretch, we use exercises to help people find the work they'll love. In your case I'd say the first step would be spending a little time considering what concerns or excites you out in the wider world.

Here's an exercise for you:

Spend a week noticing scenes that either give you little stabs of despair, or little leaps of hope - it might be trends on the news, anything from the success of a fairtrade coffeeshop to the sadness of seeing a meadow of your childhood concreted into a carpark.

Then get a friend to sit opposite you quietly, and prompt you to complete these 5 sentences. You just keep talking uninterrupted for 2 minutes on each sentence, letting unedited answers roll out. The friend just listens to your answers, and timekeeps, nothing more. It makes a huge difference to do it out loud, not in writing.

When i think about the state of the world, my local society, the environment i think it's getting.....
When i look at what's happening in the world i feel....
My greatest fear for our situation is.....
My greatest hope for our situation is....
The gifts i have to offer are....

When that's finished, sit quietly, and ask yourself what is the single cause or issue you'd contribute to - IF you had all the self belief and resources necessary? This is most likely a whole field in which there are companies, charities, campaigns, even specialist media needs.

So many people want fufilling work, and to 'do their bit', but it's much easier when you narrow down the field in which you'd contribute.
If it's a new field, don't assume you have to start at the bottom. Big Stretch has hundreds of clients of your age who discover, to their surprise, that they can find ways to transfer skills they have into fields they are properly interested in.

And if you have time, maybe consider volunteering as a way into more stimulating work...the Media Trust match media professionals with charities that need media help. International Broadcasting Trust makes TV about development and environment issues. It all depends what's your interest. The Big Stretch can help you find your chosen work too.
I hope that helps. It's DEFINITELY not too late to get onto a career track you love at 30. No way!

Rosie is a coach and facilitator. She helps people make moves which are bold and right for them. A firm believer in the joy of unconventional career movements, Rosie believes that everyone can find ways to reapply their skills and talents to new contexts they love...without having to start at the bottom of a career ladder. And indeed, Rosie started out in brand planning in international ad agencies, rising to board level, but soon found that advertising didn't really express her values or interests for the world. So she took a leap, stepping sideways and transferring that knowledge to campaigning by charities like Comic Relief, Friends of the Earth and Save the Children. Since this work was freelance, Rosie had time to train in photojournalism, and made this an additional way of working on global stories - whilst having adventures herself.

Five years ago, Rosie founded the first life-coaching/career-shifting holiday - The Big Stretch, It's a week-long coaching holiday in Spain where coaches help individuals or executive teams to step back, explore their larger purpose, and plan the future creatively. It's helped hundreds of very different individuals make defining shifts in life and career, over the last 3 years. This autumn, Rosie is launching a specialist Career Stretch - again in the Spanish mountains - for people who want to shift to work that they love.

Rosie coaches with many career shifters - especially people going freelance and leaders wanting to use their position to positive, fulfilling ends..be that by starting a different initiative in their current work, or by applying their reputation and experience in new fields. Read why Tatler made it one of their 'Top 12 retreats that really work, 2007' on www.thebigstretch.com. Or contact Rosie direct for a free introductory consultation: coaching@thebigstretch.com